The Nintendo Download – 1/24/13

This week yields another short-but-sweet Nintendo Download, and as before, there is nothing for the Wii or Nintendo DSi, but there are a few treats for Wii U owners.

Topping the list on the Wii U front is NES classic Balloon Fight for the Wii U Virtual Console. And as reported previously, the price until February 21st is just 30 cents (plus tax). You really can’t beat that*, especially for a simple classic that’s this much fun, so be sure to check it out!

* Okay, one might argue that the upcoming releases of Super Metroid, F-Zero, Punch-Out!!, or Kirby’s Adventure for the same price could. Nonetheless, it’s a great deal.

The Cave is a new adventure game from the creator of Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, and developed by Double Fine, the company responsible for Psychonauts and Brütal Legend. An adventure with a humorous touch, The Cave is $14.99 and has you assemble a team of three explorers who must work together to unlock the secrets of a cave like no other. Rather than damp and dank environments, you’ll instead encounter underground amusement parks, medieval castles, and more– plus a nuclear missile that’s fully armed and ready to launch.

Funky Barn is this week’s retail entry into the Nintendo eShop, a $49.99 game which uses the Wii U GamePad to allow you to farm in some bizarre new ways. Touch, tilt, shake, and speak to control what’s going on as you introduce bizarre contraptions and gizmos to help you maintain the place.

On the Nintendo 3DS eShop this week, there is a new free demo for the upcoming Brain Age: Concentration Training. As the name implies, this new entry into the Brain Age series is designed to help improve your focus against distractions and improve your short-term memory.

The Nintendo 3DS launch title Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars is now available to purchase in the eShop. With an MSRP of $39.99, this strategy game features a 37-mission story mode and 20 additional “skirmish” missions with three levels of difficulty, and is considered by many to be one of the best games to come out of the system’s launch window.

Finally, we come full circle back to the NES with the Nintendo 3DS eShop release of 1988’s Super C for $4.99. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean return in this sequel to the NES and arcade classic, Contra, and fire furiously in every direction to eliminate the alien threat posed by the mind-warping forces of Red Falcon.

While still plenty of fun for one player, the downside with this version is that it doesn’t allow for the two-player simultaneous play that the series is so well known for.

ProTip: Enter Right, Left, Down, Up, A, B, Start at the title screen to get an added edge in your fight with ten lives per credit.

That’s all for this week. To find more screens, videos, and information on each of this week’s releases, click each of the relevant links above.